Page 9 of Break

Hailey, Jennifer’s best friend, and the girl that Max has been talking to and showing interest in lately, cackles at whatever Jennifer spews out. Her laugh is like nails on a chalkboard to me, but I don’t complain about her to Max since he’s chasing after her.

Then her voice cuts in, and I remember that it’s just as annoying as her laugh. “Pathetic, really, if you ask me. Why she’d think she has a chance is beyond me.”

Candace snickers as she slides over to stand next to me, leaning into my side. I glance down at her and frown. “What’s going on?” I ask the girl I’ve taken out on a couple of dates over the past month, and notice that her face flushes slightly in embarrassment.

Tilting her lips up at me, she gives me a smile, but it falls away when I don’t return it. “We were all coming out of the lunchroom and when Mina came around the corner, she wouldn’t stop staring at Danny. Didn’t even notice anyone else, just stared at him like a freaking stalker.”

“So?” Ethan asks her, listening in on her explanation.

Jennifer must have heard Ethan because she yells over her shoulder without looking away from her victim. Mina is cowered slightly against a locker with the girls in a half circle around her. “Because he’smyfucking boyfriend and the last thing we need is his mousy neighbor spying on him through his bedroom windows!”

“I don’t look at him through his window,” Mina tries to argue back, but her voice cracks. It makes her words lose any kind of strength she was attempting to show.

“Don’t know why you wouldn’t want to look. I would if I were you because I’m sexy as fuck,” Danny adds before flexing his biceps. Jennifer cackles again at him and squeezes his muscle.

“Hell yeah, you are, but I still don’t need a creep eyeing you up.” She turns a glare back at Mina. “Back off, you little church slut.”

I’m surprised when Mina fists her hands at her sides and stands up straighter. “I’mnotchasing after Danny. I j-just-”

Hailey mimics her stutter. “J-J-Jesus Mina. C-C-Can’t make up any exc-c-cuses?”

Hailey’s mocking has Max letting out a snort before he shakes his head and looks away. He shoves his hands into his pockets and leans up against the wall.

Mina whips her head toward Hailey, and I swear that’s the angriest I’ve ever seen this girl in my life. She looks like she’s on the verge of hissing at her, and I have to admit, I’m a little impressed by the fire in her glare. “Shut your mouth, Hailey. If you’d stop talking for two seconds, I could tell you all-”

The screech that leaves Hailey’s mouth has me wincing away; the pitch of her scream pierces my eardrum and makes it ring for a moment. I wiggle my finger inside my ear to clear out the noise. A flash of long, highlighted blonde hair whips past me as Hailey launches herself directly at Danny’s neighbor.

Hailey slams Mina’s body into the locker she’s standing in front of. The hit is hard enough that we can all hear the puff of air she releases from the force.

“FuckingFIGHT!” Danny whoops out, raising his fists in the air. He turns around and cups his mouth, yelling down the hallway to our classmates milling around. “CAT FIGHT, YOU FUCKERS!”

“Danny, shut the fuck up man,” Ethan hisses at him, trying to pull his arms down from his mouth. Jerking his arm free, Danny ignores him and keeps hollering about ‘chicks fighting’. Then he turns back around to watch while encouraging his girl to get in there. “You just gonna let Hailey take all the credit, babe? It’syourguy Whalemina was staring at.”

Rolling her eyes, Jennifer announces, “I’m pretty sure Hailey can handle one scrawny little girl. Look,” she orders, waving her hand in Mina’s direction. “The kid can’t even grow tits like a normal woman. She’s got nothing to back up a punch.”

Spoke too soon, Jennifer.Mina’s fist flies out to get Hailey to let go of the hair she’s got wrapped around her fist. It’s poorly aimed and just glances off her cheekbone, but it was enough to have Jennifer diving in to help her friend.

“You little fucking bitch! You wanna throw punches with the big girls?” she growls, swinging out and grasping for any part of Mina’s body.

“Getoffof me!” Mina cries out, trying to pull Hailey’s hand free from her braided hair.

Candace moves forward to help her friends out, but I put my hand on her upper arm, stopping her. “Don’t,” I warn under my breath. “You’re gonna get your ass suspended if you three gang up on her.”

Jennifer is trying to shove herself between Hailey and Mina and receives a kick to the shin as Mina fights her way free from the claws coming at her. Honestly, this is getting out of hand, and we need to stop it before teachers start showing up.

Pulling Candace forward, I urge her to convince her friends to stop. “Get them to pull back, Candace. This is enough and someone’s going to get hurt.”

Nodding her head, she steps forward just as we hear a slap ring out, bouncing off the walls. Everyone is silent as they watch Mina hold her cheek, facing away from the girls.

Candace yanks Jennifer and Hailey back from Mina. She whispers something to them while they both breathe heavily from the adrenaline coursing through their bodies.

“Shit, Mina,” Danny snickers. “They got you good, huh? Let’s see that fresh handprint, yeah?”

“Will you just stop for five minutes, man?” I snap at him, but again, he completely ignores all of us and focuses on the girl.

Turning to face her, I see the tears swimming along the bottom rim of her eyes, but she doesn’t let them fall. Instead, Mina takes a step towards the girls menacingly, speaking low so others around our group can’t hear. “If youeverput your hands on me again…”

Danny’s smile drops from his face as he pulls the girls behind him. “You threatening them, Mina?” Stepping toward her, he fists his hands like he’s getting ready to hit her. Ethan, Max, and I all lunge forward yelling out, “Whoa man!” and “Not cool, dude!”

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